Floods worsen, water levels rise up to nine feet

FLOODING in Limbang worsened yesterday with water levels rising to nine feet in some areas. At press time, the land route between Brunei Darussalam and Limbang was still cut off as Jalan Batu Danau is currently submerged in flood water.

The supply of RON95 petrol and diesel in Limbang, meanwhile, reached critically low levels resulting in a limitation on refilling to only RM30 per car beginning yesterday, according to a Bernama report.

However, government vehicles, vehicles used to send aid, and those owned by the police and military would be exempted from the directive.

According to Dorcas Sidi, the Cooperatives and Consumerism Enforcement Deputy Chief for Limbang of Malaysia’s Ministry of Domestic Trade, the shortage was mainly due to the inability of oil tankers carrying RON95 petrol to cross the Kuala Lurah (Brunei) and Batu Danau (Limbang) border since Tuesday night after the rise in water levels.

A car (circled) is submerged in flood water in Limbang

Road inundated with flood waters

Vehicles waiting in line at a filling station in Limbang

Vehicles parked at the side of the road because of the flood

“There are two petrol stations in Limbang and they have now been directed to stock up 3,000 litres of petrol, and we hope to solve the problem within this week,” he said.

“The option we have now is to request RON95 petrol and diesel from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and this requires a special permit to be issued by Brunei Darussalam to allow the tankers to bring them through the border. The Limbang Resident office is arranging for the permit and we hope that in the next day or two the supply can be replenished,” he said.